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Govtto decide on hydroxychloroquinefor COVID-19 case management
Ghana’s COVID-19 case management team is deliberating on whether to continue or stop using hydroxychloroquine as one of the drugs for the management of the disease in the country.
This comes on the heels of a decision by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to halt the testing of the malaria drug as a possible treatment for coronavirus over safety fears discovered in some recent studies.
The Director–General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) DrPatrick Aboagye who disclosed this at yesterday’s COVID-19 briefing in Accra said the decision would be announced in due course.
“As I speak now, of course, we will wait for the formal communication but the case management team is meeting to take a decision on what to do. When they do we will adequately communicate to you”, he said.
He, however, explained that the drug in question was currentlyadministered to only persons under criticalconditions, adding that those being managed at their respective houses do not take hydroxychloroquine.
“We only use it [hydroxychloroquine] for critical cases. We do not use it for routine cases. Those who are being managed at home do not take hydroxychloroquine”, he explained.
Hydroxychloroquine was an approved drug for the treatment of malaria as well as conditions like lupus or arthritis. In the absence of a cure for COVID-19 it has been helping in case management. The ongoing testing was to confirm its efficacy.
However, WHO director-general TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesuson Monday said the drug would be dropped temporarily from its global study into experimental coronavirus treatments after safety concerns.
The concerns were discovered by a paper published last week in the Lancet that showed people taking the drug were at higher risk of death and heart problems than those who were not.
“The executive group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the solidarity trial while the safety data is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board,” MrGhebreyesussaid.
He said the concern related only to the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for COVID-19, adding that the drugs were acknowledged treatments for people with malaria and auto-immune diseases.
Other treatments in the WHO’s solidarity trial, including the experimental drug remdesivir and an HIV combination therapy, he said were still being pursued by scientists.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
The Ghana Police Service has arrested three (3) suspects in connection with a case of possession of narcotic drugs and engaging in prohibited drug-related activities within the Accra metropolis.
On April 10, 2026, the Special Operations Assistant to the Inspector General of Police received intelligence that a group of individuals were planning to engage in the sale of suspected narcotic drugs at Dzorwulu in Accra.
A surveillance operation was mounted and on 11th April 2026, a Police team proceeded to the area and arrested two suspects, Bright Ayivor and Ifeanyi Ijeoba.
The suspects were found in possession of twenty-two (22) compressed substances suspected to be cocaine, which were being prepared for sale to a prospective buyer.
Further interrogation of the suspects led to the identification of a third suspect, Kwabena Botwe as a key figure in the drug trade.
A follow-up operation at Caprice resulted in his arrest after Police mounted surveillance during a planned transaction involving proceeds from the sale of the suspected drugs.
The suspect later led Police to his residence at Greda Estates, where a search resulted in the retrieval of an amount of GHc400,000 and a counting machine.
According to the police, during the operation, he attempted to bribe the arresting officers with an additional GHc420,000, which has been retained as evidence.
All the suspects are currently in Police custody assisting investigations and will be put before the court.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, yesterday April 14, 2026, promoted seven officers of the Tema Regional Police Command to their next ranks for their role in a recent anti-robbery operation in Tema.
The promotions were awarded to officers who responded to a robbery attack on a Mobile Money vendor at Tema Community 5 leading to the shooting of two robbery suspects and the recovery of a firearm, ammunition, and other exhibits.
The officers promoted are Chief Inspector Enoch Nartey Nuer, Inspector Gershon Dekpey; Inspector Prince Asante; No. 45881 Sergeant Lukman Mohammed; No. 49900 Sergeant Eugene Kuudouru; No. 54157 Corporal Jerome Akator; and No. 59882 Lance Corporal Jonathan Sewurah.
The IGP, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), congratulated the officers on their promotion and commended them for their courage, discipline, and commitment to duty.
The IGP urged the officers to view their promotion as a call to higher responsibility and encouraged all personnel to continue working with dedication and professionalism in the service of the nation.
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